Probes are used, for example, to determine the positions of workpieces which are clamped in material-working machines, such as milling machines. A probe is usually a component of a probe system that often has a stationary transceiver unit. The transceiver unit is normally secured to an immovable element of the material-working machine. The probe may be mounted on a movable element of the material-working machine, for instance, on a milling spindle. In this context, the probe includes a feeler or probe element that is deflectable out of a rest position and that generates a switching signal in response to a deflection out of its rest position. Rest position of the probe element should be understood to be a position of the probe element in which it has no contact with a workpiece. In response to contact of the probe element with the workpiece, the probe element is deflected out of its rest position.
In what are referred to as wireless probe systems, the corresponding switching signal is transmitted by the probe as an electromagnetic signal, especially as an infrared signal or radio signal, to the stationary transceiver unit. In the transceiver unit, the output signals of the probe system are analyzed in order to determine the occurrence of switching signals (thus, a deflection of the probe element).
Such a probe often has a power source in the form of one or more batteries for its energy supply. There is a constant desire to increase the availability performance of such probe systems, which is why there is an effort to maximize the service life of the voltage sources.
European Patent No. 1 557 639, for example, describes a battery-operated probe, where the intention is to prolong the service life of the batteries in particular by the use of a voltage transformer, which ultimately improves the availability of the respective probe, because standstill times due to exhausted batteries are less frequent.